Archives for January 6, 2018

‘Since the trade for McCoy, the Bills have led the NFL in rushing by a wide margin. Buffalo has gained 7,079 yards on the ground the last three years. The next closest team, Dallas, has 6,456 over the same time span. McCoy has led the league with 3,300 rushing yards since coming to Buffalo, 4 yards more than the Rams’ Todd Gurley.’

‘McDermott’s faith that his front seven can elevate its performance is shared by his players, perhaps because it’s all they have at this point. The Bills aren’t bringing in new linemen or linebackers. They aren’t making any radical changes to their base scheme. They are what they are, and can only hope that performing better is good enough to prevent the Jaguars’ offensive line and Fournette from taking and keeping control of the game.’

‘”When you’re going against a team and going against a guy like that, you’ve got to force him out of his comfort zone,” Hyde said. “Get pressure in his face and try to get him to throw the ball up for us.”‘

‘The Bills went 24-40 over Posluszny’s four seasons, and although he wanted to remain a Bill his entire career, General Manager Buddy Nix made it clear Posluszny wasn’t part of their plans. Bills coach Chan Gailey installed a 3-4 defense suited for larger linebackers.’

‘The Bills have been on an incredible high ever since, tapping into the euphoria of a community and a fan base that felt a giant weight lifted from its collective shoulder. They need to let that enthusiasm and energy carry them as far as it can, because it has the capacity to allow them to play at a higher level than their 9-7 record and limited overall talent and less-than-overwhelming statistics say they can.’

‘I said it earlier in the week, you never replace a player like LeSean. I’m not going to sit up here and say that we [can] check that box, we’ve got that. But this is why we coach, this is why we build the depth – part of Brandon’s [Beane] weekly pursuit of finding the right players, maybe not as starters, but as the next group of starters. The coaches do a phenomenal job and the players have really bought into that approach of everyone has to be prepared to play. If it’s a practice squad player, he could be called up as late as Friday into the weekend, so he has to be prepared.’

‘He also has a dubious distinction: Spikes played in 219 games from 1998-2012 without making the playoffs, an NFL record and a personal drought that rivaled the Bills’ 17-year dry spell. Spikes played for three more teams after leaving the Bills, and that team made the playoffs the year after he left each time.’

‘That’s how it went all across the country on New Year’s Eve. Former Bills, many of whom had suffered through the 17-year drought and never reached the postseason, felt a collective surge of joy and disbelief when the Bills got in the playoffs after the Bengals’ astonishing late TD in Baltimore.’

‘“It’s amazing that we’ve had this conversation, on Showtime, or on ‘The NFL Today,’ so many times,” Simms said. “I watch the games closely. Overall is he a cautious thrower? Yes. You can’t have everything. You can’t have a guy score 40 points a game in basketball if you tell him, ‘Only take the really good shots when you’re wide open.’’

‘Jan. 7, 2001: Owner Ralph Wilson fired Phillips with one year left on his contract. General manager John Butler had been fired three weeks earlier. Wilson said Phillips was dismissed for refusing to fire Ronnie Jones after a disastrous season for his unit. The quarterback controversy between Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson certainly didn’t help Phillips’ case.’

‘In Florida, though, Moorman has been a mostly regular guy: a fit, friendly, soft-spoken 41-year-old dad and husband whose cellphone is always at hand, waiting for the next call from someone looking to buy or sell a home. Yes, in a state crammed with transplanted residents, he is sometimes recognized. One time, someone tapped him on the shoulder in a lunch line and asked if he was that guy who punted for the Bills. Or earlier this week, a real-estate caller who happened to grow up in Williamsville noted Moorman’s 716 area code, which led to a discussion about all things Buffalo.’

‘In 17 seasons, 445 players suited up for the Bills to see their seasons end without the playoffs. For those players and the fans whose playoff thirst grew each season throughout the drought — the wait is over …’.

‘Back in Texas, he went to a doctor, expecting to learn the cause was something as simple as a pinched nerve. Instead, Castro heard “the worst news of my life.” He had a mass wrapped around his spine, cancer that had spread to his liver, lungs and lymph nodes.’

‘The answers poured in. Here is the entire collection of responses available thus far, more than 100 tales of tributes, exaltation, disbelief and joy, beginning with the memories of the pastor of Ss. Columba and Brigid Church in Buffalo…’.

‘The Bengals paid the gift forward by donating the food to The Children’s Home Autism High of Cincinnati, a “nonprofit organization and a leading provider of education and mental health treatment for children facing significant social, behavioral and learning challenges.” Bengals safety George Iloka and Cincinnati Director of Player Relations Eric Ball were on hand to serve the Western New York staple.’

‘The Buffalo-based concessions giant will offer teal-colored burger and hot dog buns, ice cream and beer at EverBank Field in Jacksonville. Teal is part of the Jaguars’ color scheme; food coloring was used to create the unusual-looking menu items.’

‘Dareus represents a portion of the Bills’ failure as a franchise during their 17-year playoff drought. He was the No. 3 overall pick in 2011, and in his six-plus years, he did not live up to his draft status. Dareus was a good player for Buffalo, and he was selected to two Pro Bowls, but he was never the difference-maker the Bills hoped he would be, and then he became a drain on the budget when former general manager Doug Whaley stupidly gave him a $96 million contract extension that included $60 million in guaranteed money.’

‘It was a New Year’s Eve to be remembered for the usual toast of champagne, noisemakers and a lover’s kiss, but mostly for the night Bills Nation exhaled. The Drought was over. The elephant in the room grabbed its peanuts and left the building, taking the 500-pound gorilla with him.’

‘“One of the greatest things about this has been getting to know so many really great people,” he said, noting the dozens of comments and messages he has received throughout the season from people who said his videos raised their spirits in hard times.’

‘Jaguars coaches say Dareus has had to learn the different techniques of how they play the defensive line. The scheme has probably been the biggest adjustment for him. When Marrone coached him before, he found himself constantly worrying about what Dareus was doing. Whether it’s a change in Marrone or Dareus, he hasn’t had that issue in Jacksonville.’

‘”There’s not a lot on him obviously,” Wash said. “You see him a couple of plays in the Miami game. He’s very elusive and quick. You can see that show up in the limited amount of reps. In a situation where all of the plays that we have we definitely have them on tape. Any rep he’s taken in his career, we’ve seen. It’s important that we continue to study him.”‘

‘This year’s Bills team finished 9-7, but based on Football Outsiders’ estimated wins and Pythagorean wins metrics, it only earned 6.8 and 6.3 wins, respectively. Put another way, an NFL team that gets outscored by 57 points on the year (as the Bills did) mathematically ought to win about six or seven games.’

‘So while that Bengals play may have clinched the playoff berth, it was Deonte Thompson’s amazing catch on a pass from then-quarterback Joe Webb in overtime during a blizzard against the Indianapolis Colts that kept the playoff hope alive. Also hidden? The fact that Thompson’s short tenure in Buffalo is a career-best season for DT.’

‘”We have 1,500 fresh chicken wings in the back of the truck and we’re gonna cook them at the Cincinnati Bengals’ facility, and then we are going to deliver them to the Cincinnati Bengals staff, maybe some of the players, and the Boys & Girls Club of Cincinnati as well,” Duff’s delivery driver Paul Zackey told WIVB.’

‘“I would say one of the biggest things I learned from my 12 years with Andy Reid was that you’re going to have ups and downs over the course of the season,” McDermott said. “He would always tell me to stick with the plan and good things usually happen. I stayed true to that approach and things worked out, although we are still definitely a work in progress.”’